Machine for working flax and the like.



s. WALKER.

MACHINE FOR WORKING PLAX AND THE LIKE.

" APPLIOATION PI'LED JAN.18,.1905.

1,027,512. I Patented May 28, 1912.

4 SHEBTS-8HBET 1.

Tmneas as: 1 fiwucnfio r,"

r I 6W% f? Ey-mMmW -flttorriey s.

S. WALKER. MACHINE FOR WORKING PLAX AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig.2.

hi). Hr g3 W 111% Wwroesess 1 1096717607": 1 6M %L M M, ill/G44] COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 90., WAISHINGTON. u. c.

7 Patented May 28,1912.

s. WALKER. mcnmn roR WORKING FLAX AND THE LIKE.

Patented May 28, 1912.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET s.

APPLiO-ATION FILED JAN. 18, 1905.

W'itneSJ'J; Inventor,

ditborrbJS.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH COapWASHINU D. C.

s, WALKER. MACHINE FOR WORKING FLAX AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1905.

1,027,5 1 2. Patented May 28, 1912.

4 SHEETS-BHEET 4.

LuMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

uNITEn SAMUEL WALKER, or LILLE, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR WORKING-v FLAX AND THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WALKER, a citizen of France, residing at Lille, Department of Nord, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Working Flax and the Like, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof. 9

This invention relates particularly to stop and driving mechanism for spreaders, drawing or stretching frames, bobbin frames and spinning or winding frames having a plurality of independent heads or sections for working flax, hemp and jute or the like.

The main objects of the invention are to facilitate supervision,to increase. production, to economize power, and generally to simplify and improve the construction and operation of machines of this class.

It consists in certain novel features of construction and in the peculiar arrangement and combinations of parts as hereinafter particularly described and defined in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a drawing frame having two independent heads or sections, the supporting members of the machine frame being shown in horizontal section; Fig. 2 is a side view of the connections for manually operating the clutch for each head or section of the machine; Figs. 3 and 4 are views in planes at right angles to each other of the automatic stop mechanism; Fig. 5 is" a vertical section through one of the heads or sections of the machine shown in Fig. 1 crosswise of the main shaft; Fig. 6 is a plan view of a spinning frame having two independently operating heads or sections; and Fig. 7 is an end elevation and vertical section showing the main driving gear and the power transmitting connection for one of the individual heads or sections.

Referring to Fig. 1, showing a drawing frame or machine, the frame of the machine comprises members 1, 2, 3 and 4, dividing it into as many compartments as there are independent heads or sections. 5 is the main shaft extending through both heads or sections. 6 6 and 7 7 are feeding rollers. 8 8 are shafts parallel with the main shaft for operating the screws 11 to 18 inclusive. 9 9 are the drawing rollers and 10 10 the delivery rollers. The ribbons, slivers or Specification of Letters Patent.

threads of flax or other fiberpass through the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow 41.

Motion is imparted to each of the independent heads or sections of the machine as follows'i The main shaft 5 is driven through a gear and pinion by a pulley 19, and is provided with clutch members 21 and 23, which are splined or feathered thereon and movable lengthwise thereof into and out of engagement with corresponding clutch members 20 and 22, which are free to turn, but are held from endwise movement on said shaft. The clutch members 20 and 22 are connected by suitable gearing, spur, friction or chain, illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 1, with the moving parts of 'the two heads or sections, which are capable of operation independently of each other. Each clutch may be operated either by hand or automatically. A shaft 25, extending the entire width of the machine in each head or section, is connected by a fork 24 with the movable member of the associated clutch, and is provided at the ends with arms 26 and 27, which afford means for throwing the clutch into and out of gear from either side of the machine.

The automatic stop mechanism for throwing the clutches out of gear comprises, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, levers a and b, fulcrumed on a knife edge bearing 42, and having concaved guides at one end over which the ribbons or threads of flax or other fiber pass, and weights 35 and 36 at the other end, slightly overbalancing the ends of. said levers over which said ribbons or threads pass. A reciprocating rod 46 actuated by an eccentric or other means not shown, is arranged. directly below the weighted ends 35 and 36 of said levers, and is pivotally connected with a parallel thrust bar 34 by transverse links and levers 43 and 44. A spring 37, connecting the bar 34 with the rod 46, normally holds the link or lever 44 against a bracket or stop 45 on the rod 46, maintaining said links and levers 43 and 44 substantially at'right, angles to said rod and bar. The associated clutch is normally held in gear by a spring actuated detentor catch 30, engaging an arm 29 fixed on the shaft 25. The upper end 32 of this catch or detent, which is pivoted at 31, is arranged in line with the thrust bar 34. An

arm 33, fixed on the shaft 25 and provided 10' Patented May 28,1912; Application filed. January 18, 1905. Serial No. 241,575.

with a weight 39, tends to throw the clutch out of gear by moving the member 23 in the direction of the arrow 40, (Fig. 3) away from the member 22.

During the normal operation of the ma chine, the ribbons or threads of flax or other fiber passing over the levers a and 5, hold their weighted ends 35 and 36 up out of the paths of the upper ends of the levers 43 and 44. In case however, a ribbon or thread breaks, the weighted end of the corresponding lever a or Z) will drop into the path of and be engaged by one of the levers 43 and 44. This will, by reason of the reciprocating movement of the rod 46, cause the levers 43 and 44 to swing on said rod and carry the bar 34 against the tension of spring 37 into engagement with the upper end 32 of the catch 30, thereby throwing the lower end of said catch back in the direction indicated by the arrow 38, (Fig. 3) out of engagement with the arm 29. The weighted arm 33 being thus released, will turn the shaft 25 and throw the clutch out of gear, stopping the mechanism in the oorresponding head or section of the machine. The parts of the stop mechanism are restored to their original positions as shown in Fig. 3, and the clutch is thrown back into gear to start the mechanism of the same head or section by means of the arm 26 or 27 on either side of the machine. Any of the clutches may be thrown out of gear and the corresponding head stopped by hand, by means of a lever 47 fulcrumed at 48 to a part of the frame or to a suitable support. In place of toothed clutch members, friction grip clutches may be employed, as shown in Fig. 6, which shows, in connection with Fig. 7, a spinning frame having two independent heads and a chain drive for the mechanism of each head.

53 is the main shaft provided with a pulley 54, by which it is driven.

55 55 are the delivery rollers, and 56 56 the feed rollers. Each head or section of the machine has a drum 57, provided with a pulley 59, by which it is connected with a loose pulley 58, on the main shaft 53. Each loose pulley 58, is formed or provided with one member of a friction clutch for throwing the mechanism of that head or section into and out of gear independently of the other head or heads. The drum 57 of each head is connected by belts with the pulleys 71 of the spindles 70. A pinion 60, fixed on the shaft of each drum, actuates a spur gear 62 through the medium of an idle gear 61. The gear 62 is formed with or attached to a sprocket wheel 63 which operates an endless chain or link belt 64, passing around sprocket wheels 65 and 66 on the shafts of the rollers 55 and 56. The driving sprocket 63 can be easily replaced by one of a different size to vary the speed of said rollers as desired. The slack in the chain or link belt is taken up by an idle sprocket wheel 67, which is adjustably secured in a horizontal slot 69 in the frame or support 68. This chain drive, which is applicable to the various machines hereinbefore mentioned for working flax and other fiber, does away with the cumbersome trains of gears ordinarily employed, which rapidly wear out and consume a great deal of power, and admits of starting the mechanism of each head or section without the shock which would otherwise result from the instantaneous and positive engagement of the associated clutch.

I claim:

1. In a machine for working flax and the like, the combination with the driving shaft and a clutch for connecting the same with working parts of the machine, of a detent for holding the clutch in gear, means tending to throw the clutch out of gear, an automatic stop mechanism comprising a weighted guide lever over which a ribbon, sliver or thread of flax or other fiber passes, a reciprocating rod, a lever pivoted to said rod and adapted when said weighted lever is released by the breakingof the ribbon, sliver or thread, to be turned on its pivot into position to disengage said detent, and a retracting spring tending to hold the last mentioned lever out of operative position, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for working flax and the like, the combination of the driving shaft, a clutch for connecting the same with working parts of the machine, a detent for holding the clutch in gear, means tending to throw the clutch out of gear, and automatic stop mechanism, comprising weighted levers over which the ribbons or threads of flax or other fiber pass, a reciprocating rod, and a thrust bar pivot-ally connected with said rod by link levers and adapted when either of said weighted levers is released by the breaking of a ribbon or thread, to be thrown by the engagement of the released weighted lever with one of said link levers and by the movement of said rod against said detent and to disengage the same, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for working flax and the like, the combination with the driving shaft, a clutch for connecting the same with working parts of the machine, a weighted arm tending to throw the clutch out of gear, and a pivoted detent normally holding the clutch in gear, of automatic stop mechanism comprising weighted levers over which the ribbons or threads of flax or other fiber are guided, a reciprocating rod, a thrust bar pivotally linked to said rod by levers which extend at one end into range with said weighted levers when the latter are freed by the breaking of the ribbons or threads of flax or other fiber, and a spring normally 192mm Q holding said thrust bar out of range with In witness whereof I hereunto aflix my saidb de tflnt, said thrust bar being arrangeg signature in presence of two witnesses.

to e rown into engagement with sai detent by said link levers whenever a SAMUEL WALKER weighted lever is released and drops into the Witnesses: path of one of said link levers, substantially J. DANTRY, as described. G. SHAW.

Oopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, .D. 0. 

